Sprinkler



1 Oct. 9, 1934. c. w. murmur;

sramkntk Filed 0st,. 21113? "2 Shins-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR. CONE M mar/Tum. 1

BY 5W 1 M11 0? ATTORNEYS C. W. LIGHTHALL sPhmxLsa Filed Oct. 12, 1932 INVENTOR. CONE h! LIGHTHHLL.

flaQxf ATT EYS.

Oct. 9, 1934.

V 21 a 9 J 1 1 .0 a? 2 1 w an srnew This invention relates to do partimderly L e rmhler, or e plurat once, my insure the t all to be watered, ere cowsonata-noted in accordance with in top plan View oi e snziniiler erbirm 2 is a side elevation thereof with the standsquare area is to be sprinkled. A suitable inlet coemling is provided at 2 lot the reception or a cmzitorhnse3. Risingi'mmthebaseise 4. A rotary head 5 may be positioned m the standpipe and the same may carry spree armsdintheiormottubesorpipeescrew-tlireefl edintothehead5asahowninl'ig.3,andtheee a reactive force for rotating the head in the wellmovm manner. 3pm heads 8 having outlet openings 9 may be in theta-m of caps screw threaded onto the ends ei'the spray arms 5 as showninl"ig.5. 'Ihehead5mayhnveaperturea' alt 10, as shown him. 3, and each spray 1532, ill F11 {323L483 3:2 conjunction with the r ta-r7 5 r what may be termed a distributor head. This shown at 15 and it may be e hollow screw-threaded onto the end 01 the stun its upper end may be closed as ehown at cordlngly, it will be noted that the dish 11 "l stetionery l gerrle l and ii; L :1 2 b. a it nan-iii l? c owned between an internal the rotary head and 2, nm 19 into head. If definable anten,

end 21 may be employed. An on appreciate-d that the roizn'y is is firmly rotatable reletively to the send. an dtniiedtor heed 5 rotary head and distributorhead harem e eye which are so disposed to same-9- sively register with each other and with difierent portions of each other, and the ports are so er ranged that the eflective orifice or passageway into a given spray arm varies. It will be by reference to Fig. 4 that the head 5 ports 25, one for each spray arm. The head has ports or difierent cross sectional erasand are arranged in accordance with the shape or the polygonal area, to be sprinkled. I: the area tobesprinkledistobesquere,thenthedie tributor head may have iour relatively large 26 extending through the walls'thereoi, s d tween the large ports it may have a, n smaller ports 27. As shown, there are three ports between the large ports. A circumferen groove may be provided in the distributor been, as illustrated in P15. 3, the groove being indicated at 28 and the center line oi the groove advan m tageously coincides with the centers of the In the operation of the device, the water do up through the standpipe and into the il 1 tributor head, through the ports therein and the spray arms which set up rotary movemen the rotary head carrying the spray arms. A e epray arm, in making the revolution registers with the tour large ports 26 as well with the small ports located between the MLQG norm, andatthesametimeis inconstantreaister with the groove 38. As above pointed out where the area to be sprinkled is square, the distributor head may be provided with tour large ports.

Referringtofig. 4,1twlllbeobeervedtha1tn. square area is illustrated which obviously is reduced in scale but it will serve for the 921m i of illustration. The spray arm which is directed towards the corner A is in direct registry with one of the large ports 26. Thus the effective orifice is relatively great and an increased volume of water is allowed to move into this arm. The spray heads 8, however, are of constant size. The result is that the stream of water forced therefrom will be shot out to relatively great distance and to the corner A. The rotary head, it will be assumed, moves in a clockwise direction as Fig. 4 is viewed. As the spray arm moves from corner A to corner B the volume of water is reduced although it is substantially continuous since the port 25 of this spray arm is in constant registry with the groove 28, and comes into successive registration with the three small ports. 'The flow of water may be supplemented by some overflow from the large ports 26, while the arm is between two longer ports. The spray arm approaching corner B is Just coming into registry with a large port. The spray arm directed between C and Bis in registry with portions of small ports. The same is true of the spray arm between (Land D. The spray arm between D and A is just leaving the corner D and is accordingly Just moving out of registry with a port 26.

Normally the area to be sprinkled is square as this is probably the most advantageous form for most purposes. may be sprinkled by varying the'number of large ports. When the device is assembled it is advantageous that the ports 26 be lined up with the corners of the square base so thatthe base will serve as an indicator. A further item of importance is that it is preferable to have the spray arms so arranged that they all do not register with the large ports simultaneously, as this would cut down the effectiveness of the long spray for the corners. Where an even number-of large ports are employed in the distributor head, an odd number of spray arms may be used. For example, if four spray arms were used equally spaced 90 apart, they would all register with large ports simultaneously, and this would cut down the effective pressure in individual arms. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that a square area may be sprinkled by the use of an odd number of spray arms; five arms are shown in the drawings but other numbers of spray arms may be used, as for example, three arms or one spray arm. Two spray arms or four spray arms could be used, in which case it would be preferable that the two were not placed diametrically opposite, and the four not equally spaced 90 apart. But this, in case of two arms, would probably throw the rotary head out of balance. However the claims appended hereto are intended to cover any such variations in the number of spray arms. The ports 10 and 11 throw sprays of water for sprinkling the area. immediately surrounding the sprinkler.

In order to give mordefinite information on the subject the specific dimensions of a sprinkler which has been constructed and satisfactorily operated may be noted'." 1his specific information, however, is given as an example only and it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto. In this sprinkler the inlet'2 was a standard one-half inch coupling; the standpipe 4 was a three-eighth inch pipe; the spray arms were oneeighth inch pipes; the large apertures 26 were about .213 of an inch in diameter; the small ports 11 were about .081 of an inch in diameter; the groove 28 had a depth of about .038 of an inch cut on a 7/64 of an inch radius. The ports 25 were of the same size as the ports 26, Obvi- However, other polygonal shapes neveoso ously, larger sizes or smaller sizes may be ernplayed, and it is emphasized again that the above specific example is in no way to be considered as limiting the invention.

The invention may be employed in a sprinkler having structural features materially different than the sprinkler shown, particularly as regards the base structure and stand pipe arrangement. The essence of the invention resides in the manner in which the fluid is distributed Accordingly the distributinghead and rotary head may be used in a multiplesprinkling system where the pipes are under ground: also with an overhead system where the pipes are supported above the level of the ground. -In these cases the distributor head may be attached directly to a pipe, to the elimination of the stand pipe and base. While the invention is particularly useful in sprinkling water, the invention covers sprinkling any fluid. One place, where the invention may be advantageously used is in connection with concrete highways, or the like, which are sprinkled while the concrete is setting.

It is appreciated that rotary sprinkler structures for covering a rectangular area have been heretofore proposed. However, it may-be said that before arriving at the structure of the present invention a large number of experiments were made with sprinklers of various structural arrangements. It has been found that some structural arrangements will cover a rectangular area with a given pressure of water which remains constant and at a given speed of rotation, but such structures are not capable of covering a rectangular area where the pressure and/or speed of rotation vary. In other words, where some structures will provide a square sprinkling arrangement under given conditions, the area will notremain square upon increase or decrease of pressure, or

increase or decrease of speed of rotation. A sprinkler designed in accordance with the one described herein has been found to be capable of covering a rectangular area which issubstantially a perfect square, and that the square arrangement will be maintained regardless of pressure and regardless of the speed of rotation. In other words, the pressure may increase or decrease, and the speed of rotation may increase or decrease yet the sprinkler covers a square area, at all times although, of course, the size of the area may vary with the variation of other factors.

I claim:

1. A rotary sprinkler for sprinkling a polygonal area, comprising a rotary spray head having ports therein, spray arms connecting with the ports and extending outwardly from the head, a hollow distributor head closed at one end and open at the other for the flow of fluid thereinto, said distributor head having a. series of circumferentially arranged ports through its wall in substantial alignment with the ports in the rotary head, the number of ports being in excess of the number'of sides to the area to be sprinkled, some of said ports in the distributor head being relatively large in cross section and the number of said largeports corresponding to the number of sides to the area to be sprinkled, and the other of said ports being relatively small in cross section, said rotaryhead and distributor head being relatively rotatable whereby the ports in the rotary head are adapted to register successively with the ports in the distributor head and a groove in one of the said heads in registration with the ports in the other head.

2, A rotary sprinkler for sprinkling a polygonal area with a fluid, comprising a hollow sprinkler head having ports through its walls, spray arms one connected to each port and projecting substantially radially from the spray head, said spray arms being bent whereby to rotate the spray head by reactive force','nieans on the end of each spray providing fluid outlets of constant size, a non-rotatable hollow distributor head fitting with in the spray head, closed at one end and open at the other for the flow of iiuid thereinto, said spray head having a series of circumferentially arranged circular ports through its wall, some of said ports being relatively large and corresponding in number to the number 0? sides of the polygonal area and the other of said ports being relatively small with which the ports in the rotary spray headcome into successive registration, the total number of said ports being in excess of the number of sides of the area to be sprinkled, and said distributor head having a circumferential groove in its outer wall cutting through and in alignment with a circumferential series of ports therein and in alignment with the ports in the spray head, whereby the ports in the spray head are in constant registration with said groove.

3. A rotary sprinkler for sprinkling a square area, comprising a rotary sprinkler head having an odd number of ports with a spray arm connected to each port, a fixed distributor head into 3 which fluid flows having a series of circumlerenq tially arranged ports extending through its wall in alignment with the ports in the rotary spray head, tour of said ports being relatively large in.

cross sectional area and located 90 apart, others of said ports having a relatively small cross sectional area and a' plurality of said small ports being located between each two of the relatively large ports and all arranged to be traversed by the ports in the sprinkler head and a channel with which all ports in the distributor head communicate.

4. A rotary sprinkler for sprinkling a square area, comprising a rotary sprinkler head having an odd number of ports with a spray arm connected to each port, a fixed distributor head into which fluid flows having a series of circumferentially arranged ports extending through its wall in alignment with the ports in the rotary spray head and serving as the only outlet for fluid from the distributor head, four of said ports being relatively large in cross sectional area and located 90 apart, others of said ports having a relatively small cross sectional area and located between the relatively large ports, and one of said heads having a circumferential groove in alignment with the ports in both heads. CONE W. LIGHTHALL. 

